Life in the Canary Islands

Life in the Canary Islands
5
5.1
The warmth of nature
5. LIFE IN THE CANARY ISLANDS
The Canary Islands are just 100 kilometres from the African Mainland. Nature has been generous to the Islands. The Archipelago is
an oasis of greenery in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean thanks to
the Trade Winds and the Gulf Stream that flows by. That is why
summers are hot but not too hot, and the winters are mild, with
temperatures varying between 13º and 21º Centigrade.
The natural charm of the Islands can be seen in the 146 Protected
Natural Areas, which include 4 spectacular National Parks, out of
total of the 12 to be found in Spain as a whole, 3 Marine Reserves
and 5 Biosphere Reserves. The beauty of the volcanic origins contrasts sharply with the spectacular, lush native forests, thanks to a
climate that makes the flora (laurel forests, the cactus spurges and
the Canary Island palms) and fauna (an extensive variety of birds
and sea life) unique.
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Cosmopolitan culture
5.2
5. LIFE IN THE CANARY ISLANDS
Culture is manifest in each of the seven islands in the form
of a wide variety of options in all fields: music, theatre,
painting, sculpture, literature, dance, etc. and there are
amazing auditoriums, theatres and art centres in the Islands to enjoy them.
You should remember that the Canary Islands host countless cultural events of prestigious repute throughout Europe, such as:
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The Canary Island Music Festival, the Canary Island edition of the Womad Festival and the International Jazz
Festival.
The Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival, “El Festivalito” (La Palma) and the International Documentary Film Festival
Opera seasons in the Pérez Galdós Theatre (Las Palmas
de Gran Canaria) and the Guimerá Theatre and in the Auditorium (Santa Cruz de Tenerife).
Art exhibitions in the Modern Art Museum of Lanzarote,
in the Tenerife Espacio de las Artes (TEA) in Santa Cruz
de Tenerife and in the CAAM - the Atlantic Modern Art
Centre -, where you will also find the Canary Island Museum to discover the remote past of the Archipelago, as
you can in the Museum of Nature and Man, in Santa
Cruz de Tenerife.
The carnival, with a deep-rooted tradition and international reputation.
On the other hand, the Canary Islands are the birth place
of celebrities such as the famous designer Manolo Blahnik, or the surrealist artist Óscar Domínguez. Their landscapes and peoples have inspired great playwrites like
Shakespeare, as he spoke of the Islands in the 14th century, or Agatha Christie who wrote two of her greatest
novels during her stays in the Islands: “The Mystery of
the Blue Train” and “The enigmatic Mr. Quinn”, or André
Breton, founder of surrealism, who wrote “El viaje a Tenerife”.
And we cannot forget the importance of Canary Island
wrestling and La Gomera whistling (a language of whistles that has just been included on the UNESCO World
Heritage list).
Film directors like Almodóvar on the other hand, have
chosen the Canary Islands as the setting for their films,
and Arab sheiks mix with members of the European aristocracy during their private holidays in the Islands.
Traditional folk festivals are just as important and interesting. By way of example, these include:
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“Las Fiestas Lustrales” or Five Year Fiestas of the island
of La Palma, with their famous Dance of the Dwarves,
and the Descent of the Virgin of Los Reyes, in El Hierro.
Traditional processions and fiestas
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5.3
Leisure and sports
The Canary Islands are a world tourism power with an advanced
infrastructure of services to meet any demand. They have hotels,
bungalows and apartments of the very highest quality, restaurants
specialising in both typical Canary Island and international cuisine,
sports facilities and a great night life, with casinos, discotheques
and night clubs. These services comprise a product that attracts
over 10 million visitors from all over the world, thanks to the mild,
stable year-round climate. The range of leisure options is rounded
off with a long list of theme parks that also act as tourist attractions.
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The rich and varied natural conditions of the Islands are an invitation to practise sports of all kinds, such as horse-riding, mountain
biking, tennis, water sports like surfing, deep sea fishing and diving, among many others.
5. LIFE IN THE CANARY ISLANDS
Amateurs, professionals and champions in sports such as
windsurfing, kite surging or sailing flock to the Islands
from the five continents all year round to train and practice their favourite sports. It is hardly surprising that Canary Islands sportsmen and women have won 7 Olympic
gold medals and that the coasts host international water
sports championships.
Golf combines perfectly with leisure in the Canary Islands. You can play all year round on one of the 17 courses thanks to the wide variety of services and amenities.
The Royal Bandama Golf Club on the island of Gran Canaria is the oldest in Spain, founded by the English in
1871.
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5.4
Health
The health services in the Canary Islands are
European standard as far as quality goes. The
Islands have efficient, modern health facilities:
hospitals, medical research centres, primary
and geriatric care centres.
There are over 100 primary health care
centres distributed throughout the Archipelago, although most of these health centres are
concentrated on the two main islands.
Furthermore, the Canary Islands have 14 public
hospitals and 25 private ones, which care
for the resident and floating population to the
highest standards of quality and humane care.
Thanks to this infrastructure and the staff available, the people of the Islands can enjoy health services that provide cover for the entire
population.
Education
5.5
It must be pointed out that almost one third of
the 50,000 students enrolled at Canary Island
universities are studying technical courses like
engineering or I.T. There are two public universities and one private one, offering a broad range of courses in sciences and humanities.
The Islands provide a considerable range of training courses through the public training programmes for companies. There are also international
business schools and vocational training centres,
which combine teachings of the most traditional
professions with new technologies.
As for non-university education, the Canary Islands have 801 vocational training centres distributed mainly between the two main islands of
Tenerife and Gran Canaria, with 311 and 309 centres respectively.
The Canary Islands offer high academic standards
due to the variety of schools that have set up in
the Islands, including a large number of bilingual
schools. It is important to highlight the fact that
English and German are widely spoken among
the population.
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5.6
Largest overseas communities
in the Canary Islands
5. LIFE IN THE CANARY ISLANDS
GERMANY
The geographic location of the Canary Islands has acted as a link between
countries that would have been irrevocably separated if it were not for the
bridge that the Islands have become; a fact that has left its mark on the character and the idiosyncrasies of the Canary Islanders.
Large numbers of foreigners currently maintain their residence in the Islands,
attracted by the good weather, the quality of life and the character of a people that has welcomed them with open arms. This community of foreign residents has enhanced exchanges of all kinds, from international trade, to culture
and exchanges of any other kind.
Most of the foreign residents living permanently in the Canary Islands are European by origin. There is also a large community of residents from Latin
America, especially from Cuba, Colombia, Venezuela and Argentina, the destinations of Canary Island emigrants in the 19th century and the first half of the
20th century, hence creating close ties. The Latin American community is the
second largest of the ex-pat communities. As for Africa, there is a flourishing
community, mostly from Morocco, Senegal and Mauritania, due to the geographic proximity of these countries. As far as Asia is concerned, the largest
communities are the Chinese, Indian and South Koreans, and they continue to
grow, driven by the economic growth of their countries of origin.
RELEVANT DATA ON GERMANY
German residents
in the Canary
Islands 2011
44,525 residents
Tourists 2011
2,476,697 tourists a year
Direct flights
- Over 600 direct flights weekly, duration
5 hours approximately.
- Some destinations: Berlin, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Munich,
Nuremberg and Frankfurt.
Schools
- 7 German schools, two of which are official:
The Official German School of Las Palmas de Gran
Canaria and the German School in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Media
Press:
- Wochenblatt
- Megawelle
- Teneriffa Nachrichten
- Teneriffa Express
- Neue Presse
- Info the Canaries
Television:
- Canal 60(TV)
Radio:
- Radio Megawelle
Associations
- Asociación Canaria de Germanistas: oriented to
encouraging the teaching of the German language and the
dissemination of the German culture in the Canary Islands
Official
Organisations
- German Consulate, Province of Santa Cruz de
Tenerife: Calle Costa and Grijalba 18, 38004 Santa Cruz
de Tenerife.
Phone/s: (+34) 922 248 820;
Fax: (+34) 922 151 555;
Mail: ngofp@hotmail.com
- German Consulate, Province of Las Palmas:
Calle Albareda 3-2°, 35007 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Telef.: (0034) 928 49 18 80;
Phone.: (0034) 928 49 18 70 (Passport Department);
Fax: (0034) 928 26 27 31
Data source of attached tables:
(2011; INE) and (Oct. 2010 - Sep. 2011; ISTAC)
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5.6
UNITED
KINGDOM
ITALY
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Largest overseas communities
in the Canary Islands
5. LIFE IN THE CANARY ISLANDS
RELEVANT DATA ON THE UNITED KINGDOM
RELEVANT DATA ON ITALY
British residents
in the Canary
Islands 2011
41,878 residents
Tourists 2011
3,535,126 tourists a year
Direct flights
- Over 470 direct flights a week, duration
4 hours approximately.
- Some destinations: London, Manchester, Birmingham,
Liverpool, Edinburgh, Bristol, Newcastle, Belfast.
Schools
- 16 bilingual schools
Associations
- The British Club, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and
The Lions Club in Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Official
Organisations
- British Consulate, Province of Santa Cruz de
Tenerife: Plaza Weyler, 8, 1º
38003 Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Tel: (+34) 922 286 863
Fax: (+34) 922 289 903
E-mail: Tenerife.Consulate@fco.gov.uk
- British Consulate, Province of Las Palmas
Calle Luis Morote 6-3º
E-35007 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Tel: (+34) 928 262 508
Fax: (+34) 928 267 774
E-mail: LasPalmas.Consulate@fco.gov.uk
Official
Organisations
RELEVANT DATA ON ITALY
Italian residents
in the Canary
Islands 2011
20,403 residents
Tourists 2011
306,010 tourists a year
Direct flights
- Over 400 flights a week, with stopover in Madrid or
Barcelona, duration between 6 and 10 hours
approximately.
- Some destinations: Milan, Bologna and Rome.
Media
- Portal: www.infocanarie.com
SCANDINAVIA
- Italian Consulate, Province of Santa Cruz de
Tenerife: Calle del Pilar Nº 27,
38108 Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Phone.: 922 27 57 09
Fax: 922 28 57 90
e-mail: consitatf@gmail.com
- Italian Consulate, Province of Las Palmas:
Calle León y Castillo Nº 281,
35005 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Phone.: 928-24.19.11;
Fax: 928-24.47.86;
e-mail: italiatheCanaries@msn.com
RELEVANT DATA ON SCANDINAVIA
Scandinavian residents in the Canary
Islands 2011
10,476 residents
Tourists 2011
Over 1,509,108 tourists a year
Direct flights
The direct flights to Scandinavian countries are
as follows:
45 to Sweden
41 to Norway
32 to Denmark
31 to Finland
Schools
- There are two Swedish schools, one Norwegian and two
Finnish schools
Churches
- Sjomannskirken/Norwegian church of Gran Canaria
Avenida de los Canarios, 12
35120 Arguineguín
- The Swedish church
Ansgargården, Néstor of the Torre, 26
35006 Las Palmas de GRAN CANARIA
Tel: 34-928-24 75 92
Fax: 34-928-23 41 42
E-mail: svenskakyrkan@skut.e.telefonica.net
- Finnish Lutheran Evangelical Church
Camino Sitio Litre, 13 Puerto de la Cruz - Tenerife
Tel. 922 385765
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5.6
Largest overseas communities
in the Canary Islands
RELEVANT DATA ON SCANDINAVIA
Associations
Official
Organisations
106
5. LIFE IN THE CANARY ISLANDS
FRANCE
- Nordmannsforbundet, Avdeling Gran Canaria
Aruba 403
35130 Puerto Rico (Las Palmas)
Phone: 928 725 000, Fax: 928 725 000
Web site: http://www.norseman.no/
- Skandinaviska Klubben/ Scandinavian Club of
Las Palmas
E-mail: skk@skanclub.e.telefonica.net
Web: www.grancanaria.st/org
- Skandinaviska Klubben/Scandinavian Club of San
Agustín
E-mail: skksyd@hotmail.com
Web: www.skandinaviskaklubben.com
- Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Norwegian Consulate
C/ Luis Morote, 6 - 6 piso, 35007 Las Palmas
Phone: 928 49 50 00
- Sta. Cruz de Tenerife
Consulate General of Norway
Edificio Fred. Olsen
Polígono Industrial Añaza S/N
38111 Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Phone: 922 62 83 71
- Swedish Consulate
Calle Luis Morote, 6 - 4
35007 Las Plamas de Gran Canaria
Tel: +34 928 261 751
Fax: +34 928 260 884
Mail: swedishconsulatelaspalmas@gmail.com
- Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Konsulat
Danish Consulate
Villalba Hervás 5, 3º piso
38002 Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Phone.: 922 275 757
Fax.: 922 240 287
E-mail: dankon@idecnet.com
www.dakonic.net
- Finnish Consulate in Las Palmas
Calle de José Franchy Roca, 5
35007 Las Palmas De Gran Canaria
928 22 43 58
INDIAN
COMMUNITY
RELEVANT DATA ON FRANCE
French residents
in the Canary
Islands 2011
8,041 residents
Tourists 2011
Over 251,654 tourists a year
Direct flights
Paris
French Schools
- 2 official French schools, administered by the
French Lay Mission:
College Jules-Verne of Tenerife
Lycee Français René-Verneau, in Gran Canaria
Associations
- There are two Alliances Françaises, one in each of the
capitals
Official
Organisations
- Honorary Consulate of France in Santa Cruz de
Tenerife
Calle Punta de la Vista,3 - 1°
38111 Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Tel. 922 23 27 10-922.23.25.17
E-mail : agenceconsulaire.tenerife@telefonica.net
- Honorary Consulate of France in Las Palmas
de Gran Canaria
Calle Néstor de la Torre, 12
35006 Las Palmas
Tel. 928 29 23 71
E-mail : consulfrancelp@hotmail.com
RELEVANT DATA ON THE INDIA
Residents from
India in the
Canary Islands
2011
3,875 residents
Associations
- Hindustani Club of Las Palmas
Calle León y Castillo, 415.
35007 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Teléfono 928 273 718
- Asociacion Hindú Tenerife Sur Comunidad de Bienes
Association - Noelia Afonso Cabrera s/n,
38660 Playa de Las Américas, Tenerife
Phone: 922752307
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5.6
Largest overseas communities
in the Canary Islands
RELEVANT DATA ON THE INDIA
Associations
Official
Organisations
UNITED
STATES
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- Club India
Calle Agustín de Bethencourt, 25
38400 Puerto de La Cruz (Tenerife)
Tel: 922 388 661
- Honorary Consulate General of India in Tenerife,
Calle Villalba Hervás Nº. 15 -1st Floor, PO Box 336,
38002 Santa Cruz de Tenerife,
Canary Islands
Tel: 92 224 14 16, 92 224 35 03
Fax: 92 228 97 55
RELEVANT DATA ON THE UNITED STATES
American residents
in the Canary
Islands 2011
Nearly 850 residents
Direct flights
- There are over 500 flights a week to any city
in the U.S. with a stopover in Madrid or Barcelona,
taking more than eight hours.
Schools
- There is the American School of Las Palmas
Official
Organisations
- US Consulate in the Province of Las Palmas:
Edificio ARCA, Calle Los Martínez Escobar, 3, Oficina 7,
35007 Las Palmas.
Opening hours of office: 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
(local time).
Phone.: 928271259;
Fax: 928225863
- American Chamber of Commerce:
Canarian Chapter.
Calle León y Castillo, 24, 35003 Las Palmas de Gran
Canaria (Las Palmas).
Phone.: 928 370 286
5. LIFE IN THE CANARY ISLANDS
BRAZIL
RELEVANT DATA ON BRAZIL
Brazilian residents
in the Canary
Islands 2011
About 3,000 residents
Direct flights
- Over 500 flights a week, with stopover in Madrid or
Barcelona, duration 24 hours approximately
- Destination: Sao Paolo and Río de Janeiro.
Official
Organisations
- Honorary Consulate of Brazil in Santa Cruz de
Tenerife:
Carretera General La Cuesta Taco, Km. 0.5,
38320 La Laguna, Tenerife.
Phone.: +34 92 247 20 02;
Fax: +34 92 247 20 03;
- Honorary Consulate of Brazil in Las Palmas
de Gran Canarias:
Calle Nicolás Estévanez Nº 18,
35007 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Phone.:+34 92 826 32 39;
Fax: +34 92 827 75 34.
- Brazil-Spain Chamber of Commerce:
Canarian Chapter
Calle Francisco Gourié, 107
35002 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
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